The Comeback Kids

Young Americans countered the trend of political apathy in 2008, visiting national polls in record numbers and helping push Barack Obama into the White House. Polls now show support for Obama has waned among "Millenials" -- those born in the '80s and '90s -- and surged toward idealist and reformist Republican candidate Ron Paul, a US Representative for Texas. If young voters fill out as many ballots as the last presidential election, they could again be a shaping force in a tight race and a record-setting Republican nomination cycle. For the first time in the modern nomination system, three candidates each have won a state: Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum in Iowa, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in New Hampshire and former Speaker of the House from Georgia Newt Gingrich. In this story, Kaimin reporter Spencer Veysey and photographer Sally Finneran explore the attitudes of young voters from Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida and, of course, Montana to make sense of our generation's role in the Republican primaries and caucuses.

The Machine

In an expanse of office parks after 8 p.m., nothing moves. All the windows are dark. But one place is bustling.

In a suburb of Des Moines,  Iowa, Mitt Romney's campaign staff flutter around trying to smoothly execute yet another campaign event. They walk photographers along the path the candidate will take so everyone has chance to take a nice picture of him once he begins pacing the small podium, complete with supporters in the background.

On the factory floor of Competitive Edge, stacks of screen- printed shirts, boxes of water bottles and Frisbees are waiting to be shipped out to promote various events. Supporters speak with members of the press; others chat with each other while photographers take test shots. A campaign staffer from the Michigan office waits next to a pallet of ‘Relay for Life' T-shirts and looks at his watch. Romney's late.

A man videotaping the event and wearing a hat that reads "Don't Tread on Me" is asked to leave by police or he will be arrested. Campaign organizers spot two other members of Occupy the Caucus, an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement, in the crowd and immediately ask them to leave. Occupy the Caucus has disrupted numerous campaign events in the weeks leading up to the Iowa Caucus. Just a few days before the rally for Romney on Dec. 28, protesters had been arrested at his Iowa headquarters in Des Moines.

Romney emerges from an office on the manufacturing floor and jogs down the aisle lined with people behind railings. He slaps outstretched hands in a display not unlike a famed football player running out of the tunnel and onto the field.

Romney steps up onto a podium where his wife, Ann, and some of his sons are waiting for them. His speech starts the same as many others he's given in Iowa: with how he met his wife in high school.

As he moves on to define "the pursuit of happiness," a man's voice emerges from the crowd.

"Mic check!"

Another voice chimes in, and another. The Occupy the Caucus protesters who weren't caught before the event are quickly drowned out by the rest of the crowd.

"Mitt is it," they yell. Romney shrugs off the disruption, lets everyone settle down and picks up his speech where he left off.

Then again, a chorus of agitators sound off, "Stop the War on the Poor!" Supporters, even more vigorously than before, chant, "Mitt! Mitt! Mitt!"

Romney tips his shoulders back and laughs. Security and campaign staff escort protesters out of the rally.

"Isn't it great to live in a country where we can express our views?" Romney says.

Romney finishes his speech and supporters swarm him, trying to shake his hand. Others try to get his autograph. Kid Rock's song ‘Born Free' repeats over the sound system.

As he works back down the aisle flanked with supporters, he stops for a moment to kiss a baby. Reporters yell questions at him. One man asks, "When are you going to release your tax returns?" Romney just smiles and continues shaking hands. He hurries into a back room and his supporters start to disperse.

A few days later, he is announced ­— inaccurately — the winner of the Iowa Caucus. On Caucus night, he celebrated a narrow eight-vote victory over former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, the thinnest margin in memory. After a recount and winning the New Hampshire primary, Republicans discover Santorum is the true winner by 34 votes.

Electability

In Missoula, Austin James, 22, sat behind his particle-board desk just as Spring semester would resume, working on his MacBook. A Ronald Reagan calendar hung on the wall behind him, the former president posing in western clothes for the January picture.

A senior at the University of Montana, James is the campaign manager for Montana gubernatorial candidate Corey Stapleton. He led the University of Montana College Republicans and served on the Associated Students of the University of Montana for three years before he began working for Stapleton.

James prides himself on being a value-based conservative who judges each candidate on merit. Over time he decided to support Romney because he hopes the candidate can bring America back on track in a "Reaganesque sense." Romney can grow and unite America just as Reagan did during the 1980s, James said.